North House is pleased to welcome Stefan Nordgaard, master wood turner from the Dalarna region of Sweden. Stefan has taught wooden bowl turning at the acclaimed Swedish craft school Sätergläntan for twenty years and has studied wood turning across the globe, from Morocco to India and beyond. In this course, Stefan will teach a variety of Scandinavian ale bowls, including the snibbskål and öl bolle. Ale bowls are a centuries old tradition from across northern Europe, used for celebration both in daily life, whenever and wherever an easily portable drinking vessel was needed. The ale bowl presents particular design challenges to the turner: what is the difference between a bowl that is designed to sit still and hold things as opposed to a bowl that is intended to be passed from person to person while filled with liquid (often a liquid that might induce wobbling on the part of the user)? The form is simple but the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy immersing in this craft and learning the historical and cultural traditions of ale bowls. Students will complete a number of bowls using green birch logs. Though beginning turners are welcome, some past experience will be beneficial.

Skål!